Irrigation Tips
It's that time of year again when the snow is melting, the ground is thawing and the bulbs are blooming. Spring is in the air. And, for most gardeners in Utah it signals the start of inspecting and initiating our irrigation systems. We depend on significant supplemental water in order to keep things growing throughout the year. In early April, rainfall is usually sufficient and temperatures mild enought that supplemental water is not needed until mid to late April or even into May. Even so, it's not too early to consider what needs to be done to assure our systems are in good operating order. The following are some sensible irrigation tips to consider.
1. Confirm the ground is frost-free from 12 inches below the surface. Starting irrigation too early can cause freeze damage to pipes. Springtime is usually wet enough to ensure ground saturation until mid to late April or even into May.
2. Have extra parts on hand in case you need to do a quick repair of your system, including spray heads, nozzles, appropriate fittings, PVC and/or poly pipe, primer and cement.
3. If you have an automatic controller, replace the batteries used to preserve your timer settings.
4. Inspect your sprinkler system by turning it on manually at the beginning of the season and once a month thereafter to ensure it’s working properly. Check to see if the spray heads are positioned well and there are no broken parts creating a geyser. Look around following each unattended watering to see if there was a washout, indicating breaks in the pipes or sprinkler heads.
5. Start filling your system slowly, first from the main water source to the zone valves and then from the zone valves to each individual line. This will minimize trapped air pressure damaging your pipes and parts. If your system isn’t already equipped with air pressure release valves or drains, you may need to remove the sprinkler head (just the ‘guts’ inside, not the whole body) by unscrewing the collar or nozzle to allow air to escape while you pressurize the pipes.
6. Water brown spots in your lawn with a hose instead of increasing the irrigation time on your timer.
7. Watering early in the morning prevents evaporation and ensures that water gets down to the roots of your turf, flowers and whatever other plantings you have in your garden. Watering longer and less often is better than watering frequently for shorter time periods. This encourages a stronger root system. Some irrigation controllers have a cycle/soak feature that allows you to program a valve to turn on for a few minutes and then stop to allow the water to soak into the soil. For example, you want to water for 20 minutes but by ten minutes you are getting a lot of run-off. What do you do? You could run a cycle/soak program with a five minute cycle and ten minute soak. This will permit the ground to absorb all the water instead of having it run off onto hardscapes. If your controller doesn’t have a cycle/soak feature, you may try programming multiple programs spaced 10-15 minutes apart to achieve this.
8. Watering your lawns and flower beds in the springtime (and fall) requires much less water than in the heat of the summer. Program your irrigation clocks accordingly. A lot of us seem to want to program it just once and forget about it. You can save water and money by programming smartly. Begin watering once a week, deeply, in May. Then, in June, you may increase the watering to every other day for twenty minutes. In July and August, you may need to water for a half hour every other day. To test if your lawn needs watering, step on the grass. If your footprint remains and the blades lie flat then it needs watering. Nevertheless, I know folks who water less and don’t mind a drier lawn. Knowing that we live in a desert, they realize most lawn grass varieties need lots of moisture. Some varieties exist which require less water than Kentucky Blue grass, a favored turf variety. Drought-tolerant varieties of grass can be found that better fit our dry, Utah climate. Buffalo grass, for example, can survive long periods of severe moisture stress, whereas bluegrass would be killed by the same conditions.
9. Remember that not all brown spots in your lawn are caused from lack of water. If you have distinct, irregularly shaped brown spots, the problem is probably grubs, a beetle larva. They feed on your turf’s root system and kill it. If you have a question about what is causing your turf problem, you can contact a USU Extension County Office or a local nursery professional.
10. Also, remember to turn your water off when it rains. Some systems have a rain delay feature.
11. You can pick up sprinkler parts at many places throughout the Salt Lake Valley, such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, Mountain States Supply Co., Sprinkler World, etc.
12. At Red Butte Garden we use Rainbird products mostly in our irrigation systems. We find they offer the best deal for both quality and price with their user-friendly product line.
13. For more information on your irrigation system, consult your user’s manual or go on-line. Most manufacturers (Rainbird, Toro, Orbit, etc.) have websites with useful tips and information on your irrigation system.
LINKS TO INFORMATION ON WATERING AND IRRIGATION TIPS:
HomeTips
http://www.hometips.com/articles/yardcare/maint_water6.html
Earth Easy
http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_xeriscape.htm
Utah Government, Division of Water Resources
http://www.conservewater.utah.gov/Tips/TipsList.asp?ShowAll
City of Mesa, AZ website
http://mesaaz.gov/UTILITIES/conservation/10reasons2convert.aspx
